Shipping containers are required for almost all household appliances during shipment from the manufacturer to the retailer and for storage. Most of such shipping containers are combined with pallets that are generally constructed from wood. The pallets are necessary to elevate the appliances and permit them to be readily moved during delivery and for storage. In other instances the appliances are provided with pads or collars which protect the packaged products from damage during shipment. However, in almost all instances, both pallets and corner protectors are used when packaging appliances.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,157 illustrates, for example, a type of packing collar used for packaging a refrigerator. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,372,055 and 3,907,241 each show temporary skid elements that are used for packaging appliances.
For shipping products other than appliances, it is not unusual to find that the shipping containers are specifically designed for the intended products. For instance, French Pat. No. 656,487 granted Jan. 2, 1929, shows a shipping container with separate top and bottom base pads that are designed specifically for accomodating a plurality of bottles. Other patents that disclose base pads which are tailored specifically for the intended products include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,818,974 and 3,258,116, which show shipping containers for tubes of yarn. However, the known prior art does not disclose in a single source a shipping container that includes a base pad element and an outer container with integral skid elements that cooperate to produce a structure which effectively eliminates the need for separate wooden pallets or other pallet structures during shipment.